SOURCE: Simmons, Charles. “The Non-Telling Detail.” Washington Post (8 February 1990): B3.

In the following review, Simmons comments that most of the stories in The Writer's Trade are flawed and bogged down by tedious details, but does reserve praise for two of the stories which he contends are well-written.

Most of these nine stories are full of faults, some more interesting than others. In the title story [of The Writer's Trade] 22-year-old Mark Fusco has just published a first novel. It gets good reviews, and he appears to be at the start of a successful writing career. Author Nicholas Delbanco describes his professional progress: “Mark was learning to provide corroborative detail for his characters: birthday parties, a distaste for lima beans, a preference in socks. ‘Make a catalogue,’ his writing teacher had advised. ‘Make it on three-by-five cards. Know everything you can. Tell yourself the person despises lima beans. Try...